iaink

This is another canadian attitude in a a nutshell. 40mpg is considered OK, in fact pretty good here. In europe there are plenty of alternatives pushing 60 mpg.

Jingsamichty

Also, it might be 40mpg on a test track, but it sure as hell won't be when you have 4-way stops every 100 yards, which they insist on installing even in brand new developments.

Former Lancastrian

Canada has the same attitude as the US when it comes to vehicles.
Sure some are changing over to hybrids etc I cant wait until the Chevy volt arrives and see how it fares on the Prairies lets say in winter
How many 4 x 4 suv owners (not AWD) living in a city say like Vancouver or Victoria can actually admit to engaging the 4 x 4 option when driving in those cities?
Sure gas mileage is getting better but for Canadians when doing that road trip say TO to Calgary want to be driving a Fiat 500 or such like vehicle?

lmartin999

Is this something Canadians do on a regular basis? I can't imagine anyone choosing their vehicle by such a criteria.

iaink

How often do they actually do that?

To me it would make far more sense to rent a VW TDi for something like that. Drives me a bit nuts here when people move over from the UK and drive a 7 seat SUV cos they "need" to drive visiting relatives around for the 2 weeks a year they are here. No, you dont, either they can drive themselves, or you can rent something bigger as and when you need it. Why pay a premium for the vast majoirity of your driving?

I sometime need a truck to move stuff. But I dont need to OWN a truck 365 days a year, I just borrow one or pay for it when I need it.

Former Lancastrian

I missed the dont want to be driving but thanks for monitoring my posts and allowing me to correct my mistake as I do make them

lmartin999

Oh, I didn't even pick up on that. I was merely commenting on what a silly rationale you were offering as to why Canadians need a large vehicle.

As to monitoring your posts - it has more to do with the fact that you post in virtually every thread so you are rather hard to avoid.

Souvy

We took a tape measure with us when we went car shopping. Being able to carry 8-foot lengths of wood was a deal-breaker.

Former Lancastrian

I dont think I said they need a large vehicle but rather they choose to have them and not out of necessity hence the North American attitude.
While a smart car maybe good for city driving, work, shopping etc they dont like using them on the main highways when travelling greater distances.
Not all can afford to fly and some just dont like using Greyhound.
Personally the Ford F150 drivers and similar models piss me off as they rarely use them for their intended purpose but I guess they feel safer on the road in them or is a more comfortable ride if you have ever seen the state of our cities streets.

Oink

A Smart car's a bit of a red herring. They could drive a VW Golf, which is very nippy and comfortable on the motorways. They buy F150 type vehicles because they're knobs.

iaink

To be fair you did rather imply that they dont want a small car because of long road trips, and were called on how often that actually applies.

The bottom line though is, as you say, people choose to have large cars or trucks, its a north american attitude. And thats basically the answer to how eco friendly is Canada isnt it. Its not.

dbd33

Any convertible.

Former Lancastrian

We could be though if we taxed the shit out of those types of vehicles and forced manufacturers to produce less of them.
Sure if you are a contractor and need a flat bed type truck or similar job
where you carry stuff on a daily basis then fine.
Does the single yuppie type living in Vancouver really need a 4 x 4 BMW X5.
Really who needs a Hummer (not that type ).

Steve_

Err... I have no real idea what you're on about so I'm going to say they are hard to get hold of. I know that my mother nearly died of shock when she saw what I was using.

Calgary is pretty dusty so I don't think it really comes up, I've seen one or two of my neighbours using washing lines during the summer. No doubt some of the community associations ban it but I think it's more the case that it's not the done thing.

Honda Civic is the most popular selling car in Canada. However the weather conditions mean that a good-sized 4x4 is going to make more sense in Alberta than in Japan, I think.

Calgary does, but only for single dwellings, not condos. There are places you can go and drop stuff off, thereby defeating the purpose of the exercise by using gas to get there!

No. There's been more talk about them recently though. I have seen the odd house in Ontario equipped with panels.

Souvy

I meant 8-foot lengths "safely".